DH feels the same as you OP, and he hates when the A/C isn't working perfectly, so I spent the summer going out to lunch with my teens when we had days off work. Some duds, but we loved:
--Lazy Mikes
--Hawk and Griffin
--Pupatella in Reston
--Thai Shirlington
--Lebanese Taverna in Westover
We really had great lunches at these spots, and none needed a reservation, and we spent so much less. I am happier doing this than a big dinner production that is disappointing.

Absolutely!! I refuse to go out anymore. Also doesn’t help that my kids are little. Entertaining kids at a restaurant while $$$ food takes forever isn’t fun. It’s just a lot of work. Much easier to eat at home.

Yes. I wish my wife was too.

Raises hand. SOme of it is due to age I think. I am just over the latest fab spot now having seen them come and go for a few decades. Plus the prices and the need to satisfy all the members of my family. DH and I choose to do other things than a big sit-down meal for a date. What we are saving on restaurant food we are plowing into better quality food at home--milk from a dairy, meat from a livestock farm, CSA for veggies, etc.

I eat out only rarely now. Prices are extremely high, and food quality/service is highly variable. If I want to pay a little more for food, the outcome is better from buying prepared meals at Wegman's or from a meal kit delivery service.

Anonymous wrote:Yes - completely over it. The only restaurants we order from (dine in or takeout) are hole-in-the-wall ethnic food places.

so true. only deals around.

Amen. I don't go to fancy places, and it's just me and my two kids. But if I want to treat us to lunch at a sit down restaurant over the weekend, it's easily around $100. Honestly, we'll just hit Taco Bell or McDonald's for the time being. Even Panera is outrageous.

Yes - completely over it. The only restaurants we order from (dine in or takeout) are hole-in-the-wall ethnic food places.

Yes. Only eat out food that I can not prepare myself. Easy to through a good steak on the grill.

Anonymous wrote:We have significantly curtailed eating out, both for financial and health reasons. But I will always have money and calorie reserves for the ramen shop close to me...

Yep, and pho

Eating out has gotten crazy expensive. I've stopped it as much as possible at the fast casual/midlevel places. We will go out for a nice meal that we know we'll enjoy maybe once per month.

Yeah, I was grumbling because DH was still hungry after a highly salty, $22 salad. Enough!

We have significantly curtailed eating out, both for financial and health reasons. But I will always have money and calorie reserves for the ramen shop close to me...

Yes. Food is a rip off. We ordered a large pizza and cheese sticks. $45. It’s nuts.

Along with eating out becoming really expensive I have also been very underwhelmed with the last few expensive/high end meals I have had. Went to an expensive steakhouse for my husband's birthday and was very underwhelmed with both the steak and the sides.

I went to Field and Main twice for two different birthdays and was similarly underwhelmed - it wasn't bad. It just wasn't amazing.

I will make an exception for Kirby Club, which was very good. But the real start of the meal was not the kebabs, but the apps and dips.

Honestly, for the money involved I'm at a point where I'd rather stick to places like Patsy's (Tysons), Silver Diner, and even though it might bring the haters - I have never had a bad meal at Cheesecake Factory. And the portions are so large I always have a meal left over.